Drive roller assemblies are required to create sufficient force for pulling print media and to distribute that force evenly across the width of the media. Problems which can occur include the bending of rollers used over extended widths of print media and the unequal forces applied at different points across these extended widths as a result of such bending. Whereas hard rollers may be constructed to avoid bending over the significant lengths required, creating sufficient force for pulling typically also requires a pressure roller having a deformable surface. The problem of roller bending occurs in such pressure rollers due to their being pressed against the drive roller. Thus, it is typically advantageous to improve the frictional force created by drive rollers and to provide an even distribution of such force across the width of the print media.